Business Insider visited Bombay Sapphire's Senior
Ambassador Sam Carter at the brand's Laverstoke Mill distillery just outside of
London, where all of the Bombay Sapphire in the world is
made.

With 22 years of experience in the drinks industry, Carter
has been ambassador for Bombay Sapphire since 2009 - and over the
years he has perfected the gin and tonic.

Choose the right glass

To make the most of a gin and tonic, you should be serving
your drink in a balloon glass, according to Carter - and you
shouldn't use a straw.

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"In the UK, they're not the easiest thing to store in bars -
under the shelves, they're quite big - so you can also use a
burgundy red wine glass," he added.

Both glasses work because they channel the aroma towards the
nose.

"90 to 95% of taste comes from what we smell," Carter said. "So
much flavour comes from the aroma. That's why these glasses work
so well - your nose is right in there."

Say no to lemon or lime - and go for mint and ginger

source

Bombay Sapphire

When you go to a bar and ask for a gin and tonic, they'll
usually put a slice of lemon or lime in your drink - but more
often than not, they've been sat around in water for some time,
according to Carter.

"They're left for like a day and have gone brown on the edges and
it just adds a real fusty, mustiness to it," he said. "What is
that even adding?

"Just because we did it 10, 20, 30 years ago and our parents did
it, doesn't mean we have to do it."

He said Bombay don't use lime or lemon in their gin and tonics.
Instead, the drinks come with a fresh mint sprig and a ginger
slice. "These two flavours pull on two of the botanicals in the
gin," he said, adding that you should put the ginger in the glass
first, then add the gin, then the tonic, then the ice followed by
a mint sprig.

Last season, the company even used watercress in their gin and
tonic.

"It's all about using local - it's what chefs have been doing for
years and years, [so] there's no reason why we can't do it in the
drinks industry."

One part gin, two parts tonic

This is the best way to make sure your drink is balanced,
according to Carter.

Use loads of ice

"The mistake I see a lot, all day, every day, is that
people don't put enough ice in their gin and tonic," Carter said.
"There's a massive misconception that people don't want too much
dilution, so they put one or two ice cubes in there, and they
melt really quickly."

However, he said it's actually the opposite if you want your
drink to stay cold, because if there's more ice in the glass, it
melts more slowly.

Use good quality tonic

A good quality tonic can make all the difference to your drink.

Carter often uses Fever Tree, which he says is made with natural
flavours, but he's also a fan of Schweppes Cucumber Tonic.

Another big tip on tonic from Carter? "The temptation is to go
for a litre bottle for value for money," he said. "If you're
serving a crowd, totally go for a litre bottle, but if it's just
you and a partner drinking one gin and tonic per night, by the
third night it's going to be flat.

"You're better off biting the bullet and going for smaller, more
expensive cans," he said, adding that you'll be able to keep your
tonic fresh by ony opening one per day.